Study Guide

Field 080: Chinese (Mandarin) 
Sample Selected-Response Questions

Recommendation for individuals using a screenreader: please set your punctuation settings to "most."

Expand All | Collapse All

Test Directions for the Selected-Response Questions

This section of the test consists of selected-response questions, each of which has four answer choices. Read each question carefully and choose the  start uppercase ONE end uppercase  best answer. Try to answer all questions. Even if you
are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  be penalized for guessing.

Sample Selected-Response Questions

Competency 0007 
Apply the rules for word and sentence formation.

1.  start bold Use the sentence below to answer the question that follows. end bold 

弟弟病了, 媽媽帶他去看醫生。

[弟弟病了, 妈妈带他去看医生。]

Which of the following correctly transforms the sentence above from active voice to passive voice?

  1. 媽媽看弟弟病了，帶他去看醫生。
    [妈妈看弟弟病了，带他去看医生。]
  2. 弟弟看媽媽病了，帶她去看醫生。
    [弟弟看妈妈病了，带她去看医生。]
  3. 弟弟病了，他被媽媽帶去看醫生了。
    [弟弟病了，他被妈妈带去看医生了。]
  4. 媽媽看弟弟病了，去看醫生。
    [妈妈看弟弟病了，去看医生。]

Correct Response: A. "My younger brother was sick and he was taken to see the doctor by my mother." This sentence expresses the same meaning as the original "My younger brother was sick and my mother took him to see the doctor." However it is transformed to passive voice with the use of "被 [被] " ("by").

Competency 0008 
Analyze sentences to determine grammatically correct words or phrases to complete them and revise written sentences or passages to correct errors in structure and syntax that interfere with accurate communication.

2. Which of the following sentences corrects all errors in the sentence below?

他們一回家到， 就急著外面到玩找朋友。

[他们一回家到, 就急著外面到玩找朋友。]

  1. 他們一回到家， 就急著到外面找朋友玩。
    [他们一回到家, 就急着到外面找朋友玩。]
  2. 他們一回家到， 就找朋友到外面急著玩。　
    [他们一回家到, 就找朋友到外面急着玩。]
  3. 他們一回家到， 就到外面急著找朋友玩。
    [他们一回家到, 就到外面急着找朋友玩。]
  4. 他們一回家到， 就找朋友到外面急著玩。
    [他们一回家到, 就找朋友到外面急着玩。]

Correct Response: A. There are several errors in the original sentence. The preposition 到 "to" is wrongly placed in both the clause and the main sentence. Its correct place should be before 家 "home" and before 外面 "outside". The verb 玩 "to play" should be placed after 找朋友 "to find friend" to show the purpose. Response A is the only response that corrects these errors.

Competency 0009 
Understand the similarities and differences between Chinese and English.

3. In English, phrases referring to a specific point in time such as  start italics yesterday end italics  or  start italics tomorrow end italics  do not occur in a fixed position in a sentence. In Chinese, such phrases must occur:

  1. at both the beginning and end of the sentence.
  2. after the verb.
  3. at the beginning of the sentence or after the subject.
  4. at the end of the sentence.

Correct Response: C.
In English, a term like, start italics, tomorrow, end italics, can occur in any of several places in a sentence: start italics, Tomorrow, end italics my sister is traveling to a remote and exotic location. My sister is traveling, start italics, tomorrow, end italics, to a remote and exotic location. My sister is traveling to a remote and exotic location, start italics, tomorrow, end italics. In Chinese, this term cannot occur after the verb or at the end of the sentence, but instead can only occur at the beginning of the sentence or after the subject: 明天﹐ 我妹妹要去一個邊遠的地方旅行。 [明天， 我妹妹要去一个边远的地方旅行。] 我妹妹明天要去一個邊遠的地方旅行。 [我妹妹明天要去一个边远的地方旅行。]

Competency 0010 
Understand the products, practices, and perspectives of Chinese culture, as well as the relationships among them.

4. The stories and essays of Lu Xun encouraged early twentieth-century Chinese writers to:

  1. compose broad-ranging, epic accounts of Chinese history.
  2. question cultural changes introduced by the New Culture Movement.
  3. use classical language to explore modern themes.
  4. adopt a critical approach to traditional Confucian beliefs and values.

Correct Response: D.
Lu Xun is well known for his short stories such as Kuangren Riji (A Madman's Diary) that emphasized how the traditional values of the time were outdated and detrimental. Lu Xun is also known for his association with the May Fourth Movement, a movement that encouraged the rejection of Confucian values in favor of more modern ideas of the time.

Competency 0011 
Understand the development of Chinese culture, including the relationships among the history, geography, and perspectives of Chinese culture.

5. Which of the following best describes an important effect of the major economic reforms of the 1980s and 1990s on Chinese society?

  1. a growing middle income level
  2. a decentralization of government power
  3. a major broadening of China's ethnic diversity
  4. a more equal distribution of wealth

Correct Response: A.
Economic reforms have led to major increases in industries such as manufacturing and production, as well as growth in many other areas. This growth has led to increased incomes for many workers and a large increase in the number of citizens who are earning more than in previous times.

Competency 0013 
Understand approaches for teaching communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities to meet the needs of diverse learners in the language classroom.

6. A high school teacher of Chinese is planning activities to develop advanced Chinese students' oral language skills and to help them develop cultural connections to the local Chinese-speaking community. Which of the following student activities would best support these instructional goals?

  1. taking a field trip to a museum with an exhibit of recent archeological discoveries of Chinese carvings
  2. visiting a local business for information about the translation services they offer Chinese speakers
  3. interviewing community members who use Chinese at work about their job and experiences
  4. creating skits based on Chinese folktales to perform for the school's International Day

Correct Response: C.
An activity that involves direct contact with people who speak Chinese is the most productive way to develop cultural connections outside the classroom. Assigning students to interview community members would provide the opportunity to have this kind of direct contact with Chinese speakers.